Kirsten dances to her own beat

SEATED on the couch with her back straight and shoulders back, it was crystal clear she was a dancer of note.

Kirsten Hartley has been dancing for as long as she can remember, dancing on a makeshift stage at home until she started taking up lessons professionally at age nine.

When asked about her other interests apart from dancing, she laughed, ‘dancing is my only hobby.’

When she’s not attending dance lessons or going to school, Kirsten is in Mtuba teaching children between the ages of 4 to 14 modern dancing.

She plans to take a gap year after school to get her teaching degree in dancing.

At only 16 years old, Kirsten has been more blessed than most. She has attended dance classes with So You Think You Can Dance choreographers Mandy Moore and Mia Michaels in Las Vegas, as well as being able to visit the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York.

Locally she has performed at the Wild Coast Sun, the East Coast Radio Big Walk and Sibaya Casino.

Asked who inspires her he most, she said Maddie Ziegler, most famously known for her roles in Sia’s music videos ‘Chandelier’ and ‘Elastic Heart’.

‘I feel everything Maddie’s ever achieved has been through hard work and not been handed to her on a silver platter,’ said Kirsten.

Last month, Kirsten participated in the ‘Boardwalk Showdown’ finals and despite forgetting her entire routine, she, along with three other girls, was invited to attend the International Talent Search to be held in Johannesburg later this year.

This is an incredible opportunity as talent scouts from America will be looking for the top performers and plan on taking them back to the States where they will help them find dancing jobs, broadening their horizons by miles.

Despite facing many tragedies, she never stopped dancing and believes every curve ball thrown at her made her stronger and further emphasised her passion for dancing.

The sparkle in her eyes summed up her love for dancing without a single word needing to be said.